Skillet Lamb Chops

Fall 2021 settled in the way fall always does here—suddenly, one morning you wake up and the quality of the light is different and the air has a crispness to it that summer doesn't allow. I drove out to the lease the first weekend of October to scout and found the land in good shape: the creek running clean after the summer dry spell had broken with a couple of good September rains, persimmons dropping, scrapes and rubs in all the usual spots. The deer didn't know there had been a pandemic. They had just continued being deer.

River was seven months old and starting to be interested in solid food—Caleb had been giving him small amounts of mashed things, sweet potato, ripe banana, soft bean puree. I brought over a small container of slow-cooked venison puree one afternoon, just to see. River considered it very seriously and then opened his mouth for more. Caleb looked at me and I looked at him and we both understood without needing to say it that something important had just happened. First venison. First wild food. The line continued forward.

Kai turned nine in December. He was reading far above grade level by this point and had developed an interest in natural history that I was actively encouraging—I bought him a field guide to North American trees and one to edible plants and he carried them around for weeks. He told me the edible plants guide was the most useful book he'd ever read and that he was going to learn all of them. I said good. I said Danny would have approved. He said who's that again, and I sat down and we had a longer conversation about Danny than we'd had before, and I told him things I hadn't thought to tell him yet.

The venison I put up that fall was slow-cooked down to something soft enough for River, and watching him reach for more of it felt like a door opening — the beginning of a long education neither of us could fully see yet. I don’t always have venison on hand to share, but when I want to bring that same honest, close-to-the-bone feeling to the table, skillet lamb chops are where I turn. The sear, the simplicity, the way the meat speaks for itself — it’s the kind of cooking that feels worth passing down.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 bone-in lamb loin chops (about 1 inch thick, 6–8 oz each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Instructions

Season the chops. Pat lamb chops dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Rub the mixture evenly over both sides of each chop. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Heat the skillet. Heat a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add olive oil and swirl to coat.
Sear the first side. Place lamb chops in the skillet without crowding. Sear undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until a deep brown crust forms.
Flip and finish. Flip chops and add butter to the pan. Cook for another 3–4 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature 135°F) or 5 minutes for medium (145°F). Tilt the pan and baste the chops with the melted butter as they finish cooking.
Rest and serve. Transfer chops to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Squeeze fresh lemon over the top and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Skillet Lamb Chops — The First Wild Meal and the Ones That Follow